Seahawks name Smith starting QB after battle with Lock

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith will be the team's starter for Week 1 following a competition with Drew Lock, head coach Pete Carroll announced Friday following the team's preseason finale.

Carroll said Smith "earned" the job while Lock "ran out of time" to beat out the veteran after missing the second preseason game due to COVID-19.

Seattle will face its former quarterback, Russell Wilson, in a Monday night opener against the Denver Broncos.

Lock struggled during Friday's loss to the Dallas Cowboys in a final attempt to win the top job, throwing one touchdown and three interceptions. Smith, meanwhile, played just one series, leading the Seahawks to a field goal.

Smith entered the battle as the favorite after spending the last two campaigns backing up Wilson. He performed well in three starts in 2021 while Wilson was injured, passing for 702 yards and five scores against one pick.

This will be Smith's first full-time starting role since his first two seasons in the NFL with the New York Jets.

The 31-year-old started 29 games over 2013-14 but couldn't establish himself as New York's franchise quarterback, throwing 25 touchdowns against 34 interceptions.

Seattle acquired Lock from the Broncos as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Wilson to Denver.

The 25-year-old started 21 games for the AFC West club after the team took him in the second round of the 2019 draft. But Lock struggled with turnovers and accuracy with the Broncos, finishing his time in Denver with 4,740 yards and 25 touchdowns against 20 interceptions.